A once in a lifetime experience

Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef Whale and Dolphin Research Programme, led by Blue Planet Marine in collaboration with the Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory at The University of Queensland, Australia.
We're excited about you joining us as a Research Assistant on this important, challenging and valuable research. The work you'll be doing and the data you'll be collecting on east Australian humpback whales has been identified by the International Whaling Commission as highest priority research for this population of whales.

About BPM & CEAL

BPM is a leading environmental research and consulting organisation providing expert scientific service in the Australian, New Zealand, Asian, South Pacific and Antarctic marine environments. Founded in 2002, BPM specialises in marine megafauna (whales, dolphins, dugongs, seals, sea lions and turtles) research and monitoring activities.

CEAL was formed in 2005 and is based at The University of Queensland. A multi-disciplinary lab, CEAL has expertise in whale behaviour, biological acoustics, animal communication and social learning, population ecology, and physiology.

The Programme

The Programme runs from mid-July to mid-September each year. Its overarching aims are to: identify areas of the Great Barrier Reef that are most important for humpback whale breeding activities; gather information regarding the structure of the east Australian humpback whale sub-stock; and gain a better understanding of whale communications and potential anthropogenic impacts within the breeding grounds of the Great Barrier Reef.

Further identify areas of the Great Barrier Reef that are most important for breeding activities. This involves the collection of hormone samples from blubber.

Continue the identification of individual whales through photo identification of flukes. These images will be used to determine the movement of individual whales within the Great Barrier Reef and the South Pacific.

Record whale vocalisations. These data will help determine what songs are being sung, what social sounds are being made (and what they mean), and how these differ within and between whale sub-stocks in the South Pacific.

Meet The Team

Dr David Paton / Principal Investigator

Managing Director of BPM, Dave is a marine mammal, turtle and seabird biologist and ecologist with 30+ years’ experience around the world. His PhD research focused on humpback whale population dynamics and movement patterns.

Associate-Professor Michael Noad / Co-Investigator

An international leader in the field of humpback whale acoustics, Mike’s main research interest is the evolution and function of humpback whale song. He is an Associate-Professor at The University of Queensland and Co-Leader of CEAL.

Dana Cusano M.Res. / Researcher

Most recently at the Syracuse University (New York), Dana’s research focused on the acoustic communication and behavioural ecology of North Atlantic right and humpback whales. Her primary research interest is behavioural acoustics.

Dr Daniel Burns / Researcher

Dan is a marine scientist at BPM with 15+ years’ experience on a variety of projects. He completed his PhD at Southern Cross University studying the migratory movements of humpback whales on their southern migration off eastern Australia.

Dr Rebecca Dunlop / Co-Investigator

Bec is a lecturer in physiology at the School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, and Co-Leader of CEAL. She is a world leader of the contextual use of social sounds in humpback whales and the effects of noise on their behaviour.

Dr Simon Childerhouse / Researcher

Simon has worked as a marine mammal biologist for 20+ years in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, USA, Canada and the South Pacific. A past member of the IWC Scientific Committee, he knows first-hand how science and management connect.

Damien Morales M.Sc. / Researcher

Involved in research projects around Australia including on sea lions, bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales and blue whales, Damien is an experienced environmental scientist specialising in marine megafauna.

David Donnelly / Researcher

A cetacean researcher with 21 years’ experience in a wide range of research projects using a diverse range of methods, David specialises in close approach vessel work for photo ID, tagging, blow and biopsy sampling of cetaceans.

The Site

Our primary study site is in the Whitsunday Island/Mackay/Swains Reef region, out to the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (off the Central Queensland coast of Australia) and within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

These waters are sheltered from open ocean swells by the Great Barrier Reef. There are a number of spectacular anchorages within the region, which we will use during each research trip.

Research Vessels

Three specialised research vessels owned and operated by BPM will be used during the Programme. RV Flying FishV, a 23-metre research vessel, will be your home and work platform for the duration of the Programme. Two other support vessels will be working from Flying Fish on a daily basis. The entire research team including all Research Assistants will live and work from the vessel on a daily basis.

Research Assistants will be actively involved in all aspects of research activities, including: whale fluke photo identification; video recordings; collection of genetic samples; recording behavioural observations; and recording whale song and social sounds.

At the end of your time with us you will be presented with a participation certificate. If you wish we will also supply you with a detailed description of your research activities with us, including your hours at sea and the focus species and aims of the Programme. Many Research Assistants use this information in their CVs or other personal/professional biography platforms such as LinkedIn.

Testimonials

I went for a winter break and came back passionate about whales and ocean conservation.

For me the trip was exhilarating! The BPM crew and researchers were an absolute joy to live

with! Waiting for next years trip already!!

Sally, New Zealand

I could not recommend this programme enough for those who want to be involved at the forefront of humpback whale research in Australia ... and in the Whitsunday's of all places!

Jess, Australia

Fabulous experience. For anyone wanting to get hands on with marine research, learn a lot

and spend time with great people in an idyllic setting whilst providing valuable financial

contributions to ongoing research, this trip is for you.

Kylie, Australia

I had a really good time and observed acoustic research for the first time. I'd strongly recommend this program to anyone who wanted to participate in a whale research project. It's in a fantastic location and the crew and other RAs were great.

Lyndon, Australia

I joined the BPM and CEAL crew for a week and was involved in all aspects of their Humpback

whale research. The crew were all very welcoming and made me feel like a part of their team.

It was a memorable experience getting so close to whales and a great programme to gain

further skills within the marine mammal industry.

Sarah, Australia

Dave and the crew run a fantastic program, I had so much fun and learnt more that I could ever have imagined!

Cat, Australia

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ABOUT BPM

We are a leading environmental research, consulting and training organisation committed to providing expert scientific services to our clients.

Since 2002, our team have specialised in all matters relating to marine mammals and other marina megafauna – whales, dolphins, dugongs, seals, sea lions and turtles – dedicating hours to researching, monitoring and collating our technical knowledge, observations and surveys to assist our clients in protecting the environment.

OUR PEOPLE

BPM people believe in making a difference in the marine environment. We believe in working collaboratively and in valuing professional relationships. We like to see good decisions being made based on sound data, research, technology and advice. And we aim to be the people supplying that information and facilitating that process.